Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has come to the aid of two 21-year-olds who were disqualified from recruitment in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) after they fell short of the prescribed height limit by a fraction of a centimetre.
The court directed the authorities to extend the benefit of relaxation available under the 2015 Revised Uniform Guidelines, noting that the disqualification was “illegal and arbitrary.”
Details of the Candidates and Recruitment Process
A division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Ashwin Bhobe was hearing petitions filed by Sushant Sarode from Malegaon and Sahil Patil from Kolhapur, who were barred from proceeding to the Detailed Medical Examination (DME) stage. Both had applied for posts of Constable (General Duty) in CAPF and SSF, Rifleman (GD) in Assam Rifles, and Sepoy in the Narcotics Control Bureau Examination, 2025.
The recruitment process involves three stages – a computer-based test, a physical standard and efficiency test, and finally a medical examination. Sarode and Patil cleared the written test as well as the physical efficiency test, but were declared ineligible during the physical standard test held in Pune. Their measured heights were 164.7 cm and 164.6 cm, against the required 165 cm, leading to rejection slips issued on August 23 and August 25.
Legal Argument and HC Decision
Challenging this, their advocate V.A. Shastry relied on clause 2(d) of the Uniform Guidelines for Medical Examination in CAPFs and Assam Rifles dated May 20, 2015.
The clause provides that “fractions of a centimetre less than 0.5 cm will be ignored and 0.5 cm or more will be rounded off to the next higher cm.” Shastry argued that by this rule, both petitioners ought to be considered as meeting the 165 cm standard.
Opposing the plea, central government counsel P.B. Chavan contended that the rule of rounding off applies only at the medical examination stage, not during the physical standard test. She urged the court to uphold the disqualification.
The bench, however, disagreed. It observed that the petitioners had applied under the ‘Maratha’ category, where the prescribed minimum height itself is 165 cm, and that the guidelines specifically extend relaxation to Marathas as well as certain other communities and regions.
Court Verdict
“Disqualifying the petitioners at the stage of physical standard test on account of their height being 164.7 cm and 164.6 cm, respectively, is illegal and arbitrary,” the judges held. “We are of the considered opinion that the petitioners are entitled to the benefit of height relaxation.”
Also Watch:
Allowing both petitions, the HC directed that Sarode and Patil be declared eligible to proceed to the detailed medical examination stage.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
